My life is a secret.
His life is dangerous.
We’re both stubborn, calculating, and controlling.
Mark Dixon doesn’t know what he’s getting into. He doesn’t know his games could cost us our lives. I have to do what is necessary to keep us alive, and that means guarding my heart.
But I know I’m defenseless against him, and in the end, he’ll force me to surrender.
** This is book 5 in The Salvation … is book 5 in The Salvation Series and can be read as a standalone, although for maximum enjoyment, it’s advised to read Beloved, Beholden, Consolation & Conviction first as all the characters appear throughout.
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I’m in Looove! With Mark Dixon. Not only did I swoon for him but he’s the type that makes his woman feel protected, safe, taken care of. He is also one that loves hard and loyal to a fault. To top it off, He makes me laugh!! YEAH…He is pretty much the full packet.
Charlie! Wow, I love and respect and admire this girl. One of the most downass badass chicks I’ve read. She can kick some ass but she is also beautiful not only on the outside but on the inside. She had good values, morals and respect.
The banter between these two “seriously” has to be some of the best I’ve read.
This story has action, a bit of suspense, some angst and some HOT & Sizzling scenes.
I absolutly loved Defenseless by Corinne Michaels. Charlie and Mark were great together! She was perfect for him.
Charlie had secrets. Tons of them. But she also had a plan, but she needed help. Could she trust Mark? She knew she was attracted to him, but could they work togehter? But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. With their lives in danger, can they work together? Will the growing feelings cause more danger than it is worth it?
I loved Defenseless! Mark got his story and it was a great one! A must read for sure!
The narration was great! It brougth the story to life for me! A story I would listen to over and over!
Happy reading!
Not quite what I expected, but glad I didn’t give up on this.
I don’t think I expected the subject matter to deal as much with spying and the CIA as it did. (Not usually my cup of tea). I guess I expected more romance. That being said though, I did like it. This was a bit confusing in the beginning, perhaps because I had read the previous books a while ago and it took me some time to get the secondary characters straight. Although the beginning dealt mostly with the spy/mystery aspect, there was romance and a connection between Mark and Charlie, albeit a love/hate unusual kind of relationship.
What really earned this a four-star rating for me though was how intense the last 40% became. The mystery began to unfold and I couldn’t put it down, reading well into the night. Mark and Charlie’s relationship also escalated, and the ending was great, along with an Epilogue I just loved.
I do recommend this with a note not to give up if the beginning is not quite your cup of tea. You’ll be rewarded in the end.
This story is brilliantly written and left me in awe!!! This love story is poignant, powerfully raw, very emotional, breathtakingly romantic and incredibly sexy. I fell in love with Mark and Charlie; they are strong characters on their own and together they are simply magical. Their chemistry is electric and their banter was witty and had me laughing often. The connection they share is beyond powerful — true soulmates. To say this story is emotional is an understatement. Their journey together was so beautifully written that I felt every emotion the characters experienced — I laughed, cried so many tears (happy and sad), felt the butterflies, the heart palpitations, the pure joy and every ounce of pain. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat. There were so many inspirational moments that deeply impacted me. This book forever left a mark on my heart and soul!
4.75 Stars
This was SO good. The twists, the turns, the banter. THIS HAD THE BEST BANTER. The steam was a factor of hawt and the writing was on point. I’m lucky I’m cherry-picking where to read in this series because I’m stoked I still have two books left.
A perfect blend of romance, intrigue, and suspense. Mark and Charlie are absolutely perfect for one another. I enjoyed every single thrilling moment of this story.
Whew…Mark and Charlie are hot. They’re both such strong personalities and neither is willing to back down. But together, they’re incredible. I loved their push and pull both in and out of the bedroom. I loved the unexpected twists in this novel.
Oh Mark Oh! Damn I loved from Beloved and found you funny. Corinne has written amazingly with Mark and Charlie. Mark was macho then Charlie was soft. I absolutely loved them and devoured them.
I loved this book! Mark and Charlie were perfect for each other. The plot was fast paced and kept me glued to my Kindle. I loved seeing the characters from the previous books in the series. I can’t wait to finish the rest of series.
Talk about a story that has it all, yep this is the one! This read was filled with suspense, laughs, drama, sexual chemistry and two people who didn’t know whether to kiss or kill each other. Mark and Charlie were nothing short of perfection between their fiesty banter, explosive chemistry and crazy antics. This was one of my favorites from this series and a definite MUST read because Corinne sure does give us one helluva story that always leaves us gasping for breath while begging for more!
Another hit by Corinne Michaels!! Mark has finally met a woman who can go toe to toe with him and keep him on his feet. Charlie isn’t going to let a man tell her what to do nor wait around for him to include her, she is a take charge kind of girl and is doing things her way. I love the dynamic between Mark and Charlie as their story unfolds and brings them together.
Mark has been one of my favorite characters throughout the Salvation Series. I love his humor, quick wit, flirty banter and everything about him!! He kind of reminds me of my husband.
I have been waiting for his book and it was well worth it! I knew it would have to be a special lady who could tame Twilight, and Charlie is all that and more. Michaels has an astonishing talent at writing such strong, confident, independent, bold, heroines while also making them vulnerable and enduring them to readers.
Defenseless checks all the boxes for my MUST HAVES-intrigue, action packed, unpredictable, funny one liners and comebacks along with smokin hot romance!!
I loved the story of Mark and just loved him with Charlie. They have such a great chemistry and Mark was just funny. You couldn’t help but like him 🙂 I am also glad we finally got the answers to all of our questions from all of the other books. Really a great read, definitely worth it!
You will be defenseless against this exhilarating and sexy ‘friends to lovers’ story! When Mark “Twilight” Dixon first laid eyes on kick-ass CIA spy, Charlie Erickson, on a mission to rescue a colleague, he knew she would own him. She was everything he looked for in a woman. She was smart, funny, could handle herself and she challenged him. Charlie felt alive for the first time when she met Mark. He was sexy, funny, cocky and full of himself but also sweet and thoughtful. When Charlie had to take a forced vacation after a 2 year undercover operation, Mark talks her into helping him solve the mystery of who might be targeting Cole Security and it’s employees. Charlie doesn’t trust easily after her father was murdered and she holds many secrets. Will she be able to open herself up to Mark or will those secrets mean the end of them before it even starts? Mark and Charlie constantly push and challenge each other. Mark sees right through all Charlies’ defenses and thrives on breaking through them. Their banter is hilarious and their chemistry is off the charts. We are also treated to the whole Cole Security family who are essential to Mark. This is an exciting and engaging story with intriguing plot twists that will have you guessing what will happen next. I loved the epilogue which so perfectly captures who they are and what will happen next. If you like thrilling stories with funny & intelligent banter, and steamy romance, then you definitely will enjoy this book!
TEN STARS **********
It is finally Mark Dixon’s story he stood by everyone else now its time to find his forever. I love his attitude and his very caring nature. Enter Charlie, she helped rescue Aaron after a year in captivity and as part of the CIA she gets in way to deep undercover, losing a sense of herself. She has one goal in mind avenging her father’s death. Amazing story, Mark and Charlie have the best book banter ever they were written so well they feel absolutely real- Bravo Corinne!! I love that we get a little of Liam and Natalie and family as well as Jackson and Catherine. Love this book series so much!!!
What I love about Corinne Michaels’ writing is her ability to capture me with her likable and relatable characters and her thrilling storytelling. Reading Defenseless was no exception and knowing her characters from her previous books only made me enjoy it even more. I was very much entertained. There’s so much personality and love in Mark and Charlie. Also let’s not forget the others. Jackson, Catherine, Liam and Natalie too. It was so great to be back with these people.
Mark and Charlie was so much fun. Their bantering was sweet and I could easily feel the sexual tension. They have a lot in common when it comes to their occupation but emotionally they’re totally opposite. Mark is very open whereas Charlie rarely lets anyone inside. I was very intrigued by that and couldn’t wait for Mark to break down Charlie’s walls.
Their relationship was like fireworks. Beautiful, addictive and dangerous at the same time. They definitely had no problem showing how much they wanted one another. It was smoldering and insanely hot.
What made me want to read Defenseless was the characters. They made not only this book work, but also the four previously. I felt like I was part of a huge family and that’s all because of Corrine Michaels. She knows her characters and I certainly hope this isn’t the last I’ve heard of them.
This was a perfect ending to the Salvation. Defenseless was what I was hoping all the books would be like. Despite that fact, I did love each of these characters stories and how the military played in the story. But Mark and Charlie were a perfect fit and I loved the bits of action.
I loved this book because it was great to see a woman working for the CIA and actually having field experience and a skilled operative. It was great seeing how Mark could easily read through Charlie’s carefully crafted facade that gets the job done when she goes undercover. She’s used to working alone, but Mark gets her all messed up and loses her focus. He wants her and is doing everything he can to get the girl. I liked seeing them work together. It was fun and sexy. I really just loved them together and the how the mystery of the attacks on Jackson and his team related to Charlie and her investigation.
I will say that while they’re supposed to be gathering information and doing a bit of lowkey undercover work, the romance does kinda take up more of this book. I noted it and decided that I liked their romance enough to overlook this fact and that the suspense still gets plenty of attention. One thing that bugged me about Charlie was the need to make her too much of a hardass. It got annoying seeing her get annoyed about Mark going all alpha and her not listening because he told her no. That shits annoying and I don’t like it when real life woman get angry because a man is telling them what to do. I get her need for control and not trusting people in her line of work. But if you let the guy stick his dick in you, the least you can do is give him a little trust. Other than those small details I really loved this book and Charlie was pretty kickass.
Corrine Michaels has done it again. Although Defenseless can be read as a standalone, I’ve been following these Navy SEALS since we first met them in Beloved. There was always something about Mark that I just knew he’d be the one to completely capture my heart. Even when I was obsessed with Liam in The Consolations Series, Mark was barreling his way to my heart with his wit and sarcasm.
Ever the loyal friend, teammate and “brother,” Mark embarks on his journey to seek answers to why Cole Security has been targeted with devastating situations. He teams up with Charlie, who is a CIA spy that has connections with these situations. We’ve always gotten to see the funny, sarcastic side of Mark. This is the first time we get to see the softer, more series side of him. When he first meets Charlie, he already knows she’s the one for him.
” Charlie’s eyes glimmer, and I know right then that this woman will not be owned, but she sure as shit will own me.”
Of course, Charlie isn’t having it. She’s very committed to her job with the CIA. She has built up walls and constructed her life to be all about the CIA. She’s been groomed by her father for this life and it’s all she can see as her end goal. I absolutely adore Charlie. One, she’s a complete badass. Two, she doesn’t take shit from anyone. Three, she ends up showing her vulnerable side, proving that the badass CIA is just as human as the rest of us. There is absolutely a lot of push and pull while we ride along with Charlie’s roller coaster of emotions to fight off her growing affection for Mark. When she finally falls, she falls hard.
” I let go of my training. I let the wall crumble and become ash. My heart is what I’m listening to this time, and my heart wants Mark Dixon.”
What I really liked about this book was the plot twists and the way I had to keep guessing about who was behind all of the things that are targeted around Charlie and the guys from Cole Security. There were so many moving parts and I enjoyed the journey that it took me on.
I’d like to apologize to my friends that I kept texting over and over again about how great this book was. I’m pretty sure they cringed for a few days when they saw my name pop up on their phones. I was that annoying. Well job, Corrine. You once again brought down the house!
What a great story. What a journey for these two characters. I definitely recommend this book, this series and this author. This was my favorite book of this series. Unfortunately, Amazon did not allow me to leave a review there as well. But this is a must read series.
5 star read. Mark ‘Twilight’ Dixon is a HOT alpha character. Intrigue, suspense, chemistry and HEAT is in this fantastic story between Mark and Charlie. A must read.
Excellent story! I truly enjoyed this book. Mark and Charlie are so much fun together, I couldn’t get enough. Congrats Ms. Michaels on your best couple yet!